The Kimberley Case Study

Tasks:

You will research the viewpoint of a stakeholder in the Kimberley Gas Hub and write a letter to the editor to state your case. You will work in a team.
Due: At the end of the lesson, Tuesday the 8th of September
The stakeholders that will be represented are:

The Kimberley Land Council (Phil, Alec)
Traditional Indigenous Owners (for) (i.e. Mary O'Reeri) (Matt, Daniel)
Traditional Indigenous Owners (against) (i.e.) Albert Wiggan) (Tom, Josh)
Environmentalists (i.e. Environs Kimberley, Save the Kimberley) (Jun, Olivia)
Local Residents (for) (Hal, Sam)
Local Residents (against) (Isabella, Lauren B)
State Government (for) (i.e. Colin Bartnett) (Liam, Kenny)
State Government (against) (i.e. The Greens) (Ping, Esther)
Animal Rights Group (Georgia, Sarah)
Federal Government (i.e. Peter Garrett, Kevin Rudd) (Tiger, Alice, Lauren G)

You research together and you write together.
The stakeholders will be randomly allocated.
You can write as yourself (in your own voice) but you argue the issue from the point of view of the assigned stakeholder.

Your letter should:

briefly describe the issue
state your own point of view
contain evidence that you've done research and that you know what you are talking about
address one or two of the main arguments of some of your opponents and counter those arguments
provide suitable and interesting research, evidence, reasons, data, facts or stats to support your argument.
your letter should be very easy to read (remember: you are writing for a local newspaper) and should be persuasive.
have a catch title and should be signed by both of you. (Make up names in line with your stakeholder)
be no longer than 500 words.
be ready for publication on the 8th of september. Hand in a hard copy + email it to me at the end of the period.

Example 1: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/wonder-land-in-danger-20081012-4z3k.html?page=-1
Example 2:

Political pressure

WA PREMIER Colin Barnett must be applauding himself for the manner in which he has handled negotiations over development in the Kimberley.
His use of the state's native title laws to threaten compulsory acquisition of Aboriginal land has proven an effective lever in negotiations. The Kimberley Land Council has now become the vehicle for Government and industry to gain approvals for mining and industrial development in the Kimberley.
Aboriginal people outside the KLC process who oppose these developments and want to protect their culture and heritage have effectively been disempowered.
Mr Barnett is now proposing to introduce changes to legislation that will effectively give him discretionary power to approve resource projects worth more than $50 million, apparently with the support of the Federal Government. The implications for resource development, the environment and our democracy are almost too horrendous to contemplate.

Richard Costin, Broome, WA

Research tips

The internet is virtually controlled by Google. For such a powerful search engine, you might as well make the most of it and use its full functionality.
Use "search term" site:type.site.com.au

Here are some examples of more efficient search queries. Use " " and site: to make your searches more specific.

"james price" site:theage.com.au
"James Price" site:wa.greens.org.au
barnett site:abc.net.au/kimberley/news/
"oil spill" site:au
"Mary O'Reeri" kimberley LNG

Google Docs

Use Google Docs for this collaborative process. http://docs.google.com/
You need to sign up for a Google account using your Wesley email. You create a document and then invite the other person to that document (Click on 'Share'). This will enable you to both work on the letter, whether you are at home or at school. You can also use it as a place to put all the links and info you will be using to argue your point.
Google Docs saves everything automatically and also keeps a record of who does what.
Please also invite me to your document so I can see how you are going.

Assessment Criteria

You will be assessed using these criteria:

Demonstrated level of understanding of the issue
Ability to construct an argument for or against
Effectiveness of research
Ability to address arguments of "opposed" parties
Persuasiveness of the letter / writing style
Ability to work together (you need to share your Google Doc with me)
You ability to use the correct spelling of the region's name: is it Kimberlys, Kimberley's or Kimberleys?

Videos:

Video On Demand: "Bran Nue Deal"
Will a looming gas bonanza wreck the frontier splendour of the Kimberley - or help haul its people out of poverty? Watch the report in full

60 Minutes: Battle for the Kimberley

Shire fears bigger gas hub development

Posted August 6, 2009 12:27:00
The Shire of Broome is concerned the Government's plan for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing facility just north of the town could snowball into a larger industrial estate. The Western Australian Government is yet to decide where it will locate the primary supply base for piping Browse Basin gas reserves.
The shire is concerned that locating it at James Price Point could lead to facilities, such as a general-use port and airport, being built there. Shire president Graham Campbell says he has reason to believe the Government is not being up-front about its plans.
"I'm not convinced that senior public servants, in the main, understand that what is to go ahead at James Price Point, if anything, is an LNG hub and an LNG hub only," he said. "There have been a couple of slips of [the] tongue by people that lead me to have some concerns."
The public will have a chance to quiz Woodside and the State Government over the proposed Kimberley gas hub at a forum later this month. The Shire of Broome has scheduled an information forum for September 18 and 19, despite there being no decision from industry about where the Browse Basin gas reserves will be processed.
A second information session, to be hosted by the project's proponents, has been scheduled for October.

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